What the Bible says about light and seed

The True Light "In him, (the Lord Jesus) was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world,…the world didn’t recognize him." John 1:4,9.

The Good Seed and the Weeds “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seeds in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.”Matthew 13:24,25.

Saturday, February 8, 2014

The Gospel vs. Doctrine

Reblogged from: www.bibleprophecyblog.com

Moreover, brethren, I
declare unto you the gospel ... by which also ye are saved ... (unless
ye have believed in vain) ... how that Christ died for our sins
according to the scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose
again the third day according to the Scriptures; and that He was seen
..." (1 Corinthians 15:1-8)

Today,
we hear many say 'doctrine divides', so let's not emphasize 'doctrine'.
"God is love, not doctrine". Let's just preach "the gospel", so that
people get saved, and not over-emphasize doctrine. But this is a false
dichotomy. It's not the gospel vs. doctrine. In point of fact, an
immense amount of doctrine is included in "the gospel". Let's unpack the text of 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 and get a glimpse of all that is involved in this 'simple' Bible passage that defines "the gospel".

To begin with, the gospel is not a fable (cf. 2 Peter 1:16;
a "fable" is a fictitious story invented to teach a moral lesson). The
gospel involves historical events. Admittedly, it is the correct
understanding/interpretation of those events that is critical, but that
does not diminish the fact that the historicity of these events is
necessary and indispensable. They must be real events that really
happened: Christ died, He was buried, He rose again, He was seen in His
resurrection body by many people. That Christ was buried is evidence to
substantiate the fact that He really died; that Christ was seen is
evidence to substantiate the fact that He really rose again! You do not
include 'evidences' for a fable, only a real, historical event. In fact,
Paul says that if the resurrection of Christ did not really and
literally happen, our faith is "vain" (i.e., it accomplishes nothing!; 1 Corinthians 15:14).
Since "the gospel" is based on an historical event, the Bible must be
an infallible record of historical events, which demands that it be the inspired Word of God. Thus, the doctrine of the inspiration of Scripture is involved in "the gospel".

All have sinned,
and there is a penalty for our sin. Furthermore, there is nothing we
ourselves can do about it, which is why "Christ died for our sins". The
penalty required for our sin is an infinite penalty, because we have
sinned against God, Who is an infinite Being [1].
The only way a finite being (i.e., a creature) can pay an infinite
penalty is for that penalty to be enforced over an infinite period of
time (i.e., eternal judgment). Thus, the doctrines of the nature of man and the nature of God is involved in "the gospel".The
historical fact that "Christ died for our sins" has to actually
accomplish something. This is where the various theories of the atonement come into play. Christ's death on the cross was not just an expression of love, or an example for us to emulate. 1 John 2:2
makes clear that the death of Christ was a propitiation (i.e.,
substitutionary atonement) for the sins of the world. Propitiation means
a payment that satisfies the debt. Thus, the doctrine of the substitutionary atonement is involved in "the gospel".

Continuing
on, the hypostatic union is necessary. Christ must be a Man in order to
die (God cannot die!). Christ must also be a Man to redeem mankind
(i.e., qualification of a Kinsman Redeemer; cf. Hebrews 2:14-16).
He must be a perfect, sinless Man to "die for our sins", else He would
have to die for His own sins. However, if Christ is merely a Man, even a
Perfect Man, for Him to pay the penalty for my sins, which involves an
infinite penalty, He would have to suffer for an infinite period of time
(forever); but in such a case, the penalty for my sins would never be
paid (i.e., only in eternity), so it is no help. For me to be saved, I
need Christ to be able to pay for my sins in a finite period of time.
The only way for an infinite penalty to be paid in a finite period of
time is for the One paying it to be infinite; an infinite Being can pay
an infinite penalty in a finite period of time. For Christ to be an
infinite Being, He must be God. Christ must be both a Perfect, sinless
Man and God, at the same time. A corollary to this is that the only way
to produce a God-Man is by a supernatural, virgin-birth. Thus, the doctrine of the nature of Christ (including the virgin-birth and the hypostatic union) is involved in "the gospel" (cf. 2 John 1:9).

Many
professing Christians think the doctrine of the Trinity is irrelevant
or unimportant. Many are even embarrassed by it. Admittedly, it is hard
to understand, and it is even harder to explain to an unbeliever.
Without the Trinity, however, "the gospel" unravels. On the cross,
Christ (who is God) was paying the penalty for our sins. To whom was He
making this payment? God. So, God was suffering for human sin, and at
the same time God was judging human sin. Jesus cried, "My God, My God,
why hast Thou forsaken Me?" If God is one Person, then He cannot be
suffering for sin and judging sin at the same time. For this reason
(among others), there must be a plurality of Persons within the Godhead.
God the Son was suffering for human sin, and God the Father was judging
human sin. Thus, the doctrine of the Trinity is involved in "the gospel".

Finally,
even some eschatological doctrine is relevant to "the gospel". The
Bible teaches clearly that the resurrected Jesus Christ will come again
to judge the world (2 Timothy 4:1).
Thus, a denial of the bodily return of Christ is a denial of coming
judgment. It is this coming judgment from which "the gospel" saves us.
Thus, even the doctrine of the return of Christ is involved in "the gospel".

Doctrine Is Important

The
gospel cannot be separated from sound, Biblical doctrine. Implicitly
loaded into "the gospel" is an immense amount doctrine which, if denied,
renders one's faith vain.Doctrines that are essential to "the
gospel" have come to be called "the fundamentals". Historically, those
who have sought to define and defend these fundamental doctrines have
been known as 'Fundamentalists'. To compromise on a fundamental doctrine
is to jeopardize "the gospel", and to deny a fundamental doctrine is to
deny "the gospel". Fundamentalists refuse to extend Christian
fellowship with those who deny a fundamental doctrine on the basis that
they do not share the same understanding of "the gospel" (i.e., they are
not Christians).

As this article has demonstrated, fundamental doctrines include the inspiration of Scripture;
the virgin-birth, true humanity and undiminished deity of the Lord
Jesus Christ; the substitutionary atonement of Christ; the bodily
resurrection of Christ; and the bodily return of Christ to judge the
world. These are not the only fundamental doctrines. However, every
attempt to exhaustively enumerate the fundamental doctrines has failed,
and today no one believes such an exhaustive list can be compiled. The
reason for this is that our doctrinal understanding (i.e., clarification
and articulation of doctrine) is constantly progressing, and it is
doing so generally in response to new heresies that arise [2]. As new heresies continue to arise today, our doctrinal understanding/clarification continues to be refined ...

Endnotes

[1]
As an illustration, consider the consequences if someone kills a
mosquito, a dog, a baby—even we recognize there ought to be different
penalties for these crimes. What makes the difference? The value of the
person against which one commits the crime determines the just penalty.

[2]
If you think of the historic creeds (e.g., Apostles, Nicean,
Chalcedonian), they were continually revised and expanded with time in
order to clarify points that were being challenged by heretics.

A Christmas Reflection from the Light Seed

This is a Christmas message that I repost every year because of its timelessness. I hope that it will bless you and that the seeds of love, truth, hope and joy planted in your heart by the Lord will flourish as Aaron´s almond rod of authority and service and nourish the hungry and thirsty around us.

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Copyright. Droits d'Auteurs. Rediffusion. Direitos Autorais

I claim no right as an author. I didn't create the mind, my brain, my hands, nor any of my senses through which I perceive the world around me. Therefore, I invite anybody if you see any benefit or blessing in the posts, to print, reproduce or distribute the contents of this blog I wrote personally. Jesus said: "Freely you have received, freely give". John the Baptist said: "One can receive only what has been given him from above". I would suggest you ask for spiritual discernment with checking in the Word of God what is right, true, noble, pure, lovely, beneficial as coming from God. I am just offering and sharing free of any restrictions the things that I deem worthy of passing on to any one willing to spend a little time and walk with me along life's highway so we can learn and grow together. Give thanks to and Praise God for the wonderful things he has done.

The Joshua Tree - An original parable/allegory by this blogger.

Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the LORD, the Eternal God (Genesis 21:33). Here is old Abraham just planting a tree and living by his well. Why are we told this? It is symbolic of what is taking place in his heart and life. The tree immediately brings to mind Psalm 1, which says the man of God will be like a tree planted by rivers of living water, bringing forth its fruit in season. Here is a life that is fruitful, that is concerned about those immediately around and is pouring out blessing into their lives and hearts. Excerpts from Ray Stedman´s devotion: "This Thirsty World" https://www.raystedman.org/daily-devotions/genesis-12to25/this-thirsty-world

Original Love Poems by this Blogger

Excellent Free Bible Software

Now you can download an excellent Bible software on your PC and/or your USB flash drive. It contains easy to navigate and efficient interface, free add-ons modules, Bibles in English, foreign languages, Dictionaries, Commentaries, everything you need to help you study the Bible.

Testimony/Sermon of an Abortion Survivor

SUICIDE WATCH

I am sure most of you have known at some time in your life a person who wanted or attempted to end their life or succeeded in doing so. Personally, I have known a number of such people. I, myself had such an episode as an adolescent.

More and more I am reading and hearing about people young, old, male, female, gender and age don´t matter that add their lives to this problem of epidemic proportion in our society. Whatever the cause, we can all do something however small to save lives.

No need to have a psych. degree or to be licensed. An understanding heart, a listening ear is sometimes all that it takes to help weaker, more sensitive people overcome the hopelessness that drives fellow human beings to discard the gift of human life.

Please, take a few minutes to read below the few examples and testimonies about suicide. And please pass it on, if that´s all you feel inclined to do. Thank you.

HE INVITES SUICIDE JUMPERS FOR A CUP OF TEA

Don Ritchie moved to a house outside Sydney, Australia, for the clifftop view. But soon he was stopping suicides by inviting potential jumpers inside for a cup of tea.

Don Ritchie has been awarded a medal for bravery and an Order of Australia (the nation’s second highest honor) for averting hundreds of would-be suicides by approaching people and offering them a cup of tea. ‘I used to sell kitchen scales and bacon cutters,’ he says. Now, ‘I’m trying to sell people life.’